Location-based system permissions and adjustments at an electronic device

ABSTRACT

Securing access to a portable electronic device (PED), securing e-commerce transactions at an electronic device (ED) and dynamically adjusting system settings at a PED are disclosed. In an example, usage or mobility characteristics of the PED or ED (e.g., a location of the ED or PED, etc.) are compared with current parameters of the PED or ED. A determination as to whether to permit an operation (e.g., access, e-commerce transaction, etc.) at the ED or PED can be based at least in part upon a degree to which the current parameters conform with the usage or mobility characteristics. In another example, at least a current location of a PED can be used to determine which system settings to load at the PED.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/349,236, entitled “LOCATION-BASED SYSTEMPERMISSIONS AND ADJUSTMENTS AT AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE” filed Jan. 6, 2009assigned to the assignee hereof and is expressly incorporated byreference herein.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

Aspects of the invention are directed to securing access to a portableelectronic device, securing e-commerce transactions at an electronicdevice and dynamically adjusting system settings at a portableelectronic device.

BACKGROUND

Laptop computers and other types of portable electronic devices aregradually replacing desktop computers both in the workplace and inpersonal settings. Portable electronic devices offer users moreflexibility in terms of where to work. This is facilitating changes inwork behavior, such that users can work from their home or office withthe same device.

While portable electronic devices, such as laptop computers,theoretically allow users to work from anywhere, it is typical thatusers will establish a predictable usage pattern. For example, if anemployee in San Francisco is issued a laptop computer, that employee islikely to use that laptop in a few locations, such as the employee'shome, the employee's office, a favorite coffee shop, etc. However, ifthe laptop computer was detected operating in Madagascar, the computer'soperation would typically be considered to be outside of the predictableusage pattern for the worker. It is possible that operation outside ofthe predictable usage pattern is valid (e.g., if the worker is onbusiness in Madagascar), but it is also possible that the laptopcomputer has been stolen. Laptop theft is becoming a serious issue, andcan lead to the revealing of sensitive information, such as tradesecrets, customer lists, credit and social security information, etc.

Further, it is typical for users of portable electronic devices to storetheir log-in and password information on their device. This allows theusers to more easily engage in e-commerce transactions because the usersneed not manually enter their log-in and password information. However,this practice poses a security risk in the event of laptop theft,because the thief would be able to easily access the user's personalinformation (e.g., to make e-commerce purchases, assume the user'sidentity, etc.). Also, identify theft is becoming a serious concern ine-commerce transactions, and can affect both portable electronic devicesas well as stationary or static electronic devices, such as desktop PCs.Here, the issue is that the authenticating information (e.g., password,social security number, etc.) has been compromised and can no longeradequately authenticate the user.

Further, in addition to a need to prevent generalized unauthorized useof portable electronic devices, there is a growing need to manage andautomate authorized use of portable electronic devices both in theworkplace and the home (e.g., where one device is used across differentenvironments, each having different usage requirements). For example, asmall business owner might use a laptop computer for both personal useas well as business use. This type of dual personal/business use canresult in different requirements and preferred settings for eachenvironment. For example, the user may prefer a different desktopbackground or screensaver, or may want different applications readilyaccessible for personal versus business use. Conventionally, the userwould manually change the settings as necessary based on whether theuser is in a personal or business setting, which is time consuming andtedious.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the invention is directed to a method of managingpermission and authorization for actions and information access on aportable electronic device, including detecting an attempt to access theportable electronic device, determining whether usage characteristicsassociated with the detected attempt conform with a usage profile of theportable electronic device, the usage profile including one or morepre-defined usages of the portable electronic device, each pre-definedusage associated with a location characteristic of the portableelectronic device and permitting access to the portable electronicdevice if the usage characteristics are determined to conform with theusage profile.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method of establishingdynamic system settings at a portable electronic device, includingdetermining current location information of the portable electronicdevice, determining whether the current location information satisfiesone or more pre-defined mobility characteristics, each of thepre-defined mobility characteristics including at least one locationcriterion and loading at least one system setting at the portableelectronic device based on whether the current location informationsatisfies the one or more pre-defined mobility characteristics.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method of securinge-commerce transactions to an electronic device, including detecting anattempt to conduct an e-commerce transaction at the electronic device,determining whether usage characteristics associated with the detectedattempt conform with an e-commerce usage profile associated with theelectronic device or a user of the electronic device, the e-commerceusage profile including one or more pre-defined usages of the portableelectronic device, each usage associated with a location characteristicof the portable electronic device and determining whether to permit thee-commerce transaction at the electronic device based on whether theusage characteristics conform with the e-commerce usage profile.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method of managingsettings on an electronic device, including determining a location ofthe electronic device, determining a confidence level that indicates anexpected accuracy of the determined location, retrieving one or moreoperation level values that are associated with one or more operationsfrom a lookup table based on the determined location and confidencelevel, different operation level values corresponding to differentsettings for an associated operation and executing a given operationbased on an associated operation level value among the retrieved one ormore operation level values.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a portable electronicdevice, including means for detecting an attempt to access the portableelectronic device, means for determining whether usage characteristicsassociated with the detected attempt conform with a usage profile of theportable electronic device, the usage profile including one or morepre-defined usages of the portable electronic device, each pre-definedusage associated with a location characteristic of the portableelectronic device and means for permitting access to the portableelectronic device if the usage characteristics are determined, by themeans for determining, to conform with the usage profile.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a portable electronicdevice, including means for determining current location information ofthe portable electronic device, means for determining whether thecurrent location information satisfies one or more pre-defined mobilitycharacteristics, each of the pre-defined mobility characteristicsincluding at least one location criterion and means for loading at leastone system setting at the portable electronic device based on whetherthe current location information satisfies the one or more pre-definedmobility characteristics.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to an electronic device,including means for detecting an attempt to conduct an e-commercetransaction at the electronic device, means for determining whetherusage characteristics associated with the detected attempt conform withan e-commerce usage profile associated with the electronic device or auser of the electronic device, the e-commerce usage profile includingone or more pre-defined usages of the portable electronic device, eachusage associated with a location characteristic of the portableelectronic device and means for determining whether to permit thee-commerce transaction at the electronic device based on whether theusage characteristics conform with the e-commerce usage profile.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to an electronic device,including means for determining a location of the electronic device,means for determining a confidence level that indicates an expectedaccuracy of the determined location, means for retrieving one or moreoperation level values that are associated with one or more operationsfrom a lookup table based on the determined location and confidencelevel, different operation level values corresponding to differentsettings for an associated operation and means for executing a givenoperation based on an associated operation level value among theretrieved one or more operation level values.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a portable electronicdevice, including logic configured to detect an attempt to access theportable electronic device, logic configured to determine whether usagecharacteristics associated with the detected attempt conform with ausage profile of the portable electronic device, the usage profileincluding one or more pre-defined usages of the portable electronicdevice, each pre-defined usage associated with a location characteristicof the portable electronic device and logic configured to permit accessto the portable electronic device if the usage characteristics aredetermined, by the logic configured to determine, to conform with theusage profile.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a portable electronicdevice, including logic configured to determine current locationinformation of the portable electronic device, logic configured todetermine whether the current location information satisfies one or morepre-defined mobility characteristics, each of the pre-defined mobilitycharacteristics including at least one location criterion and logicconfigured to load at least one system setting at the portableelectronic device based on whether the current location informationsatisfies the one or more pre-defined mobility characteristics.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to an electronic device,including logic configured to detect an attempt to conduct an e-commercetransaction at the electronic device, logic configured to determinewhether usage characteristics associated with the detected attemptconform with an e-commerce usage profile associated with the electronicdevice or a user of the electronic device, the e-commerce usage profileincluding one or more pre-defined usages of the portable electronicdevice, each usage associated with a location characteristic of theportable electronic device and logic configured to determine whether topermit the e-commerce transaction at the electronic device based onwhether the usage characteristics conform with the e-commerce usageprofile.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to an electronic device,including logic configured to determine a location of the electronicdevice, logic configured to determine a confidence level that indicatesan expected accuracy of the determined location, logic configured toretrieve one or more operation level values that are associated with oneor more operations from a lookup table based on the determined locationand confidence level, different operation level values corresponding todifferent settings for an associated operation and logic configured toexecute a given operation based on an associated operation level valueamong the retrieved one or more operation level values.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a computer-readablemedium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a portableelectronic device, cause the portable electronic device to performoperations, the instructions including program code to detect an attemptto access the portable electronic device, program code to determinewhether usage characteristics associated with the detected attemptconform with a usage profile of the portable electronic device, theusage profile including one or more pre-defined usages of the portableelectronic device, each pre-defined usage associated with a locationcharacteristic of the portable electronic device and program code topermit access to the portable electronic device if the usagecharacteristics are determined, by the program code to determine, toconform with the usage profile.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a computer-readablemedium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a portableelectronic device, cause the portable electronic device to performoperations, the instructions including program code to determine currentlocation information of the portable electronic device, program code todetermine whether the current location information satisfies one or morepre-defined mobility characteristics, each of the pre-defined mobilitycharacteristics including at least one location criterion and programcode to load at least one system setting at the portable electronicdevice based on whether the current location information satisfies theone or more pre-defined mobility characteristics.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a computer-readablemedium comprising instructions, which, when executed by an electronicdevice, cause the electronic device to perform operations, theinstructions including program code to detect an attempt to conduct ane-commerce transaction at the electronic device, program code todetermine whether usage characteristics associated with the detectedattempt conform with an e-commerce usage profile associated with theelectronic device or a user of the electronic device, the e-commerceusage profile including one or more pre-defined usages of the portableelectronic device, each usage associated with a location characteristicof the portable electronic device and program code to determine whetherto permit the e-commerce transaction at the electronic device based onwhether the usage characteristics conform with the e-commerce usageprofile.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a computer-readablemedium comprising instructions, which, when executed by an electronicdevice, cause the electronic device to perform operations, theinstructions including program code to determine a location of theelectronic device, program code to determine a confidence level thatindicates an expected accuracy of the determined location, program codeto retrieve one or more operation level values that are associated withone or more operations from a lookup table based on the determinedlocation and confidence level, different operation level valuescorresponding to different settings for an associated operation andprogram code to execute a given operation based on an associatedoperation level value among the retrieved one or more operation levelvalues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the description ofaspects of the invention and are provided solely for illustration of theaspects and not limitation thereof.

FIG. 1 illustrates a learn mode of operation performed at a portableelectronic device.

FIG. 2 illustrates a wireless communications network according to anaspect of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates access security protocols of a PED based on a usageprofile according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates another example of the wireless communicationsnetwork of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a location-based system settings processaccording to another aspect of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates another example of the wireless communicationsnetwork of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 illustrates location-based security protocols for e-commercetransactions, according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates an operation execution process based at least in partupon a location criterion according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a more detailed example of the process of FIG. 8

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description andrelated drawings directed to specific aspects of the invention.Alternate aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of theinvention. Additionally, well-known elements of the invention will notbe described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure therelevant details of the invention.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary”is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous overother aspects. Likewise, the term “aspects of the invention” does notrequire that all aspects of the invention include the discussed feature,advantage or mode of operation.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularaspects only and is not intended to be limiting of aspects of theinvention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises”, “comprising,”, “includes” and/or “including”, when usedherein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Further, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions tobe performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will berecognized that various actions described herein can be performed byspecific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits(ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or moreprocessors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, these sequence ofactions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirelywithin any form of computer readable storage medium having storedtherein a corresponding set of computer instructions that upon executionwould cause an associated processor to perform the functionalitydescribed herein. Thus, the various aspects of the invention may beembodied in a number of different forms, all of which have beencontemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Inaddition, for each of the aspects described herein, the correspondingform of any such aspects may be described herein as, for example, “logicconfigured to” perform the described action.

Conventionally, user authorizations and user settings in portableelectronic devices have been established in a manner consistent withstationary devices (e.g., desktop computers). In other words,conventional portable electronic devices do not take the location of theportable electronic device into account in determining system settingssuch as authorization for general access or for e-commerce activity, orfor more general system settings such as desktop background, etc.Accordingly, aspects of the invention are directed to portableelectronic devices (e.g., laptop computers, smart-phones, etc.) thatdetermine user authorization and other user settings based on a currentlocation (e.g., GPS position, etc.) or current location characteristics(e.g., local access point or router information, etc.) of the portableelectronic device.

In order to better understand an aspect of the invention, a “learn mode”is described below with respect to FIG. 1. The learn mode is a mode ofoperation of a portable electronic device (PED) wherein usagecharacteristics (e.g., location, time of use, environmental informationsuch as which wireless signals or sounds are received at the PED, etc.)are stored in a “usage profile” for the user of the portable electronicdevice. Then, a process of authenticating user access based on the usageprofile is described with respect to FIG. 3.

FIG. 1 illustrates a learn mode of operation performed at a PED. In anexample, the PED can be a laptop computer, a cellular phone, or anyother type of electronic device.

Referring to FIG. 1, the user instructs the portable PED to enter oractivate learn mode, 100. For example, the user may select a learn modeoption that is displayed to the user via a display on the PED. Next, in105, the PED detects usage characteristics at the PED. As used herein,“usage characteristics” means one or more parameters that can be used todescribe a current operating environment of a PED or electronic device(ED) that is not necessarily portable (e.g., parameters measured whilethe PED is being “used” or accessed, or parameters manually entered by auser). For example, the usage characteristic parameters can be defaultparameters, or user-defined parameters. These parameters may includeenvironment variables, such as a location of the PED and/or signalsreceived at the PED (e.g., cellular signals from base stations, WiFisignals from access point, satellite positioning signals (SPS) fromsatellites, sounds, etc.), and use variables, such as which files anddirectories are accessed, which programs and data are most often used ina particular environment and when/where particular financialinstitutions or other organizations are accessed.

The usage characteristics may be determined in various mannersincluding, but not limited to, (i) an access point (AP) that acts as awired or wireless gateway for the portable electronic device, (ii) anestimate of a position of the portable electronic device obtained viasatellite-based or other positioning system (SPS) protocols,trilateration and/or the location of a subnet associated with aninternet protocol (IP) address of the device (or any other well-knownpositioning technique).

In a further example, calendar information (e.g., days of the week whenthe PED is typically accessed, times of the day when the PED istypically accessed, linking to a user's calendar schedule to determinewhich days the user is expected to access the portable electronicdevice, etc.) may also be detected in 105. However, calendar informationcan sometimes be either faked or misinterpreted (e.g., a user's calendarindicates the user is scheduled to attend a meeting that was actuallycanceled). Thus, the calendar information may constitute an additionalconsideration, but is not necessarily the only factor used to determinethe usage or location characteristics of the user. In 110, a usageprofile is either generated or updated based on the detected usagecharacteristics at the PED. For example, if no usage profile for theuser exists prior to 110, the detected usage from 105 is added to a newusage profile. Otherwise, the detected usage from 105 is appended to anexisting usage profile. The usage profile is a list of conditionsassociated with that user's expected use of the PED. The conditions inthe usage profile correspond to the parameters that qualify as usagecharacteristics, as discussed above. Thus, when usage characteristicsare measured or monitored by the PED, the usage characteristics can becompared against the usage profile to determine whether the PED's usagecharacteristics confirm with the usage profile.

Alternatively, instead of the actual detected usage being added to theusage profile, the user can be prompted to select, as default for agiven environment, security settings and/or ‘contexts’ (e.g., contextsare discussed in greater detail below with respect to FIGS. 5A/5B). Inthis example, a “set as default for this operating environment” optionmay be provided as part of a pull down menu for key behaviors. The usermay further have the ability to fill in the blanks in a form (e.g.,through pull down menus for the available options) such that the entireset of variables for a particular environment can be managed at once.The form may have entry areas for programs that show on the screen asclickable items or in pull down menus, information that is readilyavailable versus information that is hidden or encrypted, connectivityoptions, screen savers, backgrounds, etc.

FIG. 2 illustrates a wireless communications network 200 according to anaspect of the invention. In particular, FIG. 2 illustrates an example ofadding geographic position usage characteristics to a usage profile of aPED 205. As shown in FIG. 2, the PED 205 is illustrated as a laptopcomputer. However, it will be appreciated that other aspects of theinvention can be directed to any type of PED.

Referring to FIG. 2, the wireless communications network 200 includes aplurality of sectors A1 through A7. The sectors A1 through A7 maycorrespond to actual geographic position ranges, expected coverage areasof one or more base stations or access points, and/or any other type ofgeographic partition methodology. The wireless communications network200 further includes a PED 205, a residential home 210 of a user of thePED 205, as well as a work office 215 of the user. Next, assume that thePED 205 has engaged learn mode, and that the user of the PED 205 logsonto the PED 205 in sector A6 in proximity to the residential home 210.Accordingly, in 110, the PED 205 adds sector A6 to the usage profile ofthe PED 205. In 115, the PED 205 determines whether to exit learn mode.For example, the user of the PED 205 can manually instruct the PED 205to exit learn mode. In another example, learn mode may be configured forexit after a given amount of time, which may be configured by the userupon entry into learn mode at 100 and/or defaulted by the PED 205 forexiting after a default period of time. Assume the PED 205 remains inlearn mode, and the process returns to 105. Next, assume that the userlogs onto the PED 205 in sector A5 in proximity to the work office 215.According, the sector A5 access is detected in 105, and the PED 205 addssector A5 to the usage profile of the PED 205, 110. In an example, ifthere is a conflict between access point or other potentially portableID versus base station ID or SPS, the less malleable (e.g., the leastinsecure or ‘fakeable’) measure can take precedent to discourage fakingthe signal environment.

Next, assume that the user of the PED 205 determines to exit learn modein 115, and the process advances to 120. In 120, learn mode isde-activated and the PED 205 launches security protocols based on theusage profile that has been developed, during learn mode, for the PED205. These security protocols will be discussed in greater detail belowwith respect to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3 illustrates access security protocols of a PED based on a usageprofile according to an aspect of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, in300, the PED detects an attempt by a user to access the PED. Forexample, the access attempt could be powering-up the PED, exiting sleepmode at the PED, etc.

Referring to FIG. 3, in 303, the PED determines its location using oneor more of a plurality of position determination techniques. Forexample, if power usage is a priority for the PED, the PED may determinelocation based on a lowest power usage position determination technique,and may only use more power intensive position determination techniquesif lower power usage techniques are not yielding sufficient results. Forexample, Table 1 (below) illustrates an order of position determinationtechniques with a power usage priority:

TABLE 1 Order Positioning Technique 1 Identify Internet Protocol (IP)address of local access point to determine subnet, which gives anapproximate location 2 Cellular position determination 3 HybridSatellite Positioning System (SPS) and cellular position determination 4SPSAlternatively, if the PED considers position accuracy to be higher inpriority than power usage, Table 2 (below) illustrates an order ofposition determination techniques with a position precision priority:

TABLE 2 Order Positioning Technique 1 SPS 2 Hybrid SPS and cellularposition determination 3 Cellular position determination 4 IdentifyInternet Protocol (IP) address of local access point to determinesubnet, which gives an approximate location

Of course, it is understood that other aspects of the invention may useother position determination techniques and/or orders, and that Tables 1and 2 are given for example purposes only. Further, as will beappreciated, the term “location” or “position” is used in a broad mannerin this application, such that “location” can indicate either geographicposition, or any parameter that is associated or correlated withposition. For example, if a PED can connect to a base station with aknown, fixed coverage area, the PED knows that its location is withinthat coverage area, even if the precise location of the PED is notknown. Further, the location determination of 303 may be performedcontinually in the background while the portable device is operated. Inthis case, to determine the location in 303, the PED may access a systemvariable for location that is made generally available to applicationson the PED.

In 305, the PED determines whether learn mode is currently activated. Ifthe PED determines that learn mode is activated, the process advances to310 and the PED creates or updates a usage profile for the PED (as in115 of FIG. 1). After creating/updating the usage profile in 310, thePED permits the user to access the PED in 315. While not illustrated inFIG. 3, an authentication step (e.g., as in 335) can be performed beforethe user is permitted to access the PED even if the determination ofstep 320 indicates the usage characteristics are conforming. In thiscase, a lesser degree of authentication is required from the user ascompared to a situation where the step 320 indicates non-conformingbehavior for the PED. Further, as will be appreciated, some or allsecurity settings are essentially de-activated during learn mode so thatnew usage characteristics can be added to the user's profile (e.g.,although authentication can be required from the user of the PED toenter into learn mode in the first place). Likewise, usagecharacteristics can be removed from the user's profile (e.g., after agiven period of time, or via a manual command from the user).

Returning to 305, if the PED determines that learn mode is de-activated,the process advances to 320. In 320, the PED determines usagecharacteristics of the PED being accessed conform with the usage profilefor that PED. As discussed above, the usage profile (e.g., whichdescribes the environment(s) associated with previous authenticated,usage of the PED) can contain information such as (i) an access point(AP) that acts as a wired or wireless gateway for the portableelectronic device, (ii) an estimate of a position of the portableelectronic device obtained via satellite positioning system (SPS) (e.g.,GPS), network trilateration and/or a subnet associated with an internetprotocol (IP) address of the gateway and/or (iii) calendar information.As discussed above, the usage characteristics describe a currentoperating environment of the PED (i.e., how the PED is currently beingused, in contrast with the usage profile which describes acceptableoperating environments or usages), and can include the position of thePED as determined in 303, which is included in (ii), but can furtherinclude (i) and (iii), which can be measured at the PED separately fromthe location determination of 303. The remaining steps of FIG. 3 willnow be described with reference to a number of examples based ondifferent usage attempts by the user and different usage profiles.

In a first example, referring to 320 of FIG. 3, assume that the userlogs onto the PED 205 in sector A6 as shown in FIG. 2, and that sectorsA1 through A7 correspond to access points (APs). Further assume that theusage profile is as follows:

Usage Category Accepted Behaviors Access Points (APs) A5; A6

Example 1 Usage Profile

The PED 205 compares the list of APs in the usage profile with thecurrent AP to which the PED 205 is connected to or is within range of,320. For example, the PED 205 may ping a local AP to verify whether thelocal AP is within the usage profile. Here, access point A6 is theuser's home network router, and as such falls within the usage profileof the PED 205. Thus, in 325, the PED 205 determines that the accessattempt conforms with Example 1 of the usage profile, and the processadvances to 315 (e.g., following, possibly, an authentication prompt ofthe user of the PED 205 associated with a lesser degree ofauthentication than if step 320 determined non-conforming activity orbehavior of the PED), where the PED 205 permits access.

In a second example, referring to 320 of FIG. 3, assume that the userlogs onto the PED 205 in sector A1 as shown in FIG. 4, and that sectorsA1 through A7 correspond to access points (APs). Further assume that theusage profile is Example 1, as shown above. The PED 205 compares thelist of APs in the usage profile with the current AP to which the PED205 is connected to or is within range of, 320. Because A1 is not withinthe usage profile, in 325, the PED 205 determines that the accessattempt does not conform with the usage profile, and the processadvances to 330. In 330, the PED 205 prompts the user to satisfy one ormore authentication protocols. For example, the authentication promptmay be for a password of the PED 205, the authentication prompt may befor biometric information (e.g., a fingerprint scan, a retinal scan,etc.), the authentication prompt may be one or more pre-configuredquestions (e.g., “What is your mother's maiden name?”), and/or any otherwell-known authentication technique or combination of authenticationtechniques. In an example, the authentication prompt of 330 maycorrespond to a heightened security level, such that the user would needto provide more authentication than would be required to simply log ontothe PED 205 in ‘conforming’ sectors.

In a further example, the authentication prompt of 335 need not beperformed if a user of the PED 205 has recently provided adequateauthentication. In this example, authentication may be required foraccess to secure functions, such as financial transactions and/ornetwork login or access to secure directories/data, but not necessarilyto less-secure features of the PED 205. Again, once authenticated, theuser need not keep re-authenticating unless a particular protectedtransaction is attempted.

Also, the degree of authentication required may be higher in less secureenvironments, or different usage profiles can be maintained andselectively used based on a level of security associated with aparticular environment or location. Thus, in an example, the usageprofile used to evaluate the usage in step 320 can be selected from oneof a plurality of usage profiles based at least in part on the locationof the PED 205. Alternatively, a single usage profile can be maintainedin 320, and the PED 205 can instead react to security levels ofdifferent locations/environments by varying the degree of authenticationat step 330 (e.g., increasing the amount of authentication for lesssecure environments, etc.). In a further example, differentauthentication methods may be used for the different security levels,such that a fingerprint scan may act as suitable authentication at anylocation, whereas a password entry may only be sufficient in a securelocation, such as the user's home. In another example, both a dynamicselection of usage profiles and varying degrees of authentication can beimplemented. Thus, both the environmental or operating conditions thatdetermine conformity (i.e., the usage profile) and the degree ofauthentication can be manipulated to help ensure that the use of the PED205 is appropriate.

If the PED 205 determines, 335, that the information provided by theuser in response to the authentication prompt is sufficient toauthenticate the user, the process advances to 310 and 315, where sectorA1 is added to the usage profile and the user is permitted to access thePED 205. Here, the usage profile is updated even though the PED 205 isnot engaged in learn mode because the user has provided adequateauthentication. Alternatively, while not illustrated in FIG. 3, theupdating of the usage profile may be optional and may only be performedif instructed by the user. For example, if the user of the PED 205 is ata location only temporarily and the user does not expect to return tothat location, the user likely would not want that location to beapproved for future access of the PED 205 without re-authentication.

Returning to 335, if the PED 205 determines that the informationprovided by the user in response to the authentication prompt is notsufficient to authenticate the user, the PED 205 denies access and locksitself, 340, and sends an alert message, 345. For example, the locking,340, of the PED 205 may include encrypting any data contained therein toprotect against unauthorized use. In an example, the decryption key forthe PED 205 may be safeguarded at a central database and/or a backup ofthe data at a central storage facility. If the PED 205 is associatedwith higher-level security protocols, the locking step of 340 mayfurther include shutting down the PED 205 such that subsequent accessesof the PED 205 cannot be attempted.

In a further example, the alert message, 345, may include one or more of(i) the time of the attempted, unauthorized access of the PED 205 and(ii) the location of the PED 205 (e.g., the PED's 205 local AP, thePED's 205 geographic location determined by GPS, etc.). The alertmessage, 345, may be configured to be sent to the central databaseand/or to the authorized user of the PED 205. Thus, if the PED 205 isstolen, the data is encrypted via the locking step and the authorizeduser (or administrator) is notified of the compromised PED. It is evenpossible that the locking step may include deleting information on thePED or formatting the PED entirely.

Returning to 320 of FIG. 3, in a third example, assume that the usageprofile is as follows:

Usage Category Accepted Behaviors Geographic Range GPS_A5: 1 mile radiusof Work Office 215; GPS_A6: 2 mile radius of Residential Home 210Calendar Information GPS_A5 - MTWRF, 9:00 am-5:00 pm GPS_A6 -unrestricted access

Example 2 Usage Profile

In Example 2 of the usage profile, sectors A1 through A7 correspond togeographic ranges as defined by a radial distance from a fixed GPSpoint, instead of access points as in Example 1 above. In particular,GPS_A5 is a range inclusive of any GPS location within a 1 mile radiusof the work office 215, and GPS_A6 is a range inclusive of any GPSlocation within a 2 mile radius of the residential home 210. However, areal-world application may use a smaller area range for a Work or Home(e.g., or an “Other” category for locations that do not qualify as beingassociated with Work or Home) determination than in Example 2. Also,aside from using a geographic position (e.g., as derived by SPS or GPS),additional conditions such a visibility of certain signals at the PED(e.g., cellular signals, WiFi signals from local APs, SPS signals, etc.)may be used an addition to geographic location information. Further,Example 2 of the usage profile has added a calendar requirement, whereinattempted accesses to the PED 205 within GPS_A5 are only considered toconform to the usage profile during weekdays (i.e., MTWRF, which is anabbreviated manner of expressing Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursdayand Friday). Thus, calendar information can be considered in adetermination of whether a current usage of the device is conforming.For example, because GPS_A5 corresponds to the vicinity of the user'sworkplace, the user would typically be expected to access the PED 205 atthe work office 215 within normal work hours. Likewise, attemptedaccesses to the PED 205 within GPS_A6 are unrestricted because it wouldbe common for the user of the PED 205 to be at home at virtually anyhour. Of course, the usage profile could be configured for particularusers, such that the user's favorite coffee shop could be added to theusage profile and/or any location that the user visits frequently. Also,as shown in Example 2 above, each location could be associated with atime period where usage is expected. As will be appreciated by one ofordinary skill in the art, there are numerous possible variations to theusage profile that can be specially configured by each potential user ofthe PED.

Further, aside from a ‘discrete’ comparison with a current location thatthe PED is being accessed with a list of approved locations, a morein-depth determination of conforming usage can be made. For example, asmentioned in the preceding paragraph, calendar information relating towhen a user is typically expected to be in certain locations can beused. In a further example, additional information can indicate wherethe PED is expected to be accessed. For example, assume the PED isassigned to a security officer who is scheduled to be traveling in Chinafor two weeks. If the PED is accessed at the officer's home during thisperiod, this can be considered a violation despite the home being anotherwise approved location due to the information related to theofficer's travels. In a further example, physical impossibility orunlikelihood characteristics can be determined in evaluating conformingPED accesses. For example, if access of the PED is detected at a user'sHome and Work locations within minutes of each other, it can be assumedthat different users were attempting to access the device and/orduplicative device signatures are deployed in the network. In eithercase, this can be considered a violation for which additionalauthentication may be required before access of the PED is permitted.

Returning to 320 for Example 3 of the usage profile, the PED 205compares the list of APs in the usage profile with the current AP towhich the PED 205 is connected to or is within range of, 315. In 325,the PED 205 determines whether the access attempt conforms with Example2 of the usage profile, and the process advances to 310 or 340 based onthis determination, as discussed above in detail. As will beappreciated, Example 2 of the usage profile requires the PED 205 tomeasure both (i) time of day/week (e.g., by checking an internal clockat the PED 205) and (ii) the location of the PED 205 (in 303). The usagecomparison of 320/325 may include a position determining process asdiscussed above with respect to 303, such as GPS, trilateration, hybridSPS (i.e., a combination of SPS positioning with positioning based onterrestrial signals), positioning based on an IP address of the PED 205,and/or any other well-known positioning technique. The usage comparisonof 320/325 may also include retrieving a current time (e.g., based on aninternal clock at the PED 205, etc.).

As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the mobilenature of PEDs allows for security protocols based on the location ofthe PED. Additional security can be provided by associating the locationof the PED with particular times wherein usage of the PED is expected atthat location, and/or other parameters such as which signals are visibleto the PED (e.g., cellular signals, WiFi signals, SPS signals, etc.).The user can optionally be given a chance to authenticate him or herselfif the PED is being used in an unexpected manner. Alternatively, if thePED is associated with a higher level of security (e.g., the PEDcontains trade secrets, state secrets, etc.) the authentication step canbe skipped altogether. If authentication is skipped or the user fails toauthenticate properly, the PED can be encrypted and locked down, and acentral database can be alerted to the unauthorized access attempt.Accordingly, the above-described aspects of the invention can achievehigher-levels of security as compared to PEDs having security protocolsthat do not take PED location into account in determining access grants.

While above-described aspects of the invention are directed to securityprotocols based on mobility characteristics of a PED, mobilitycharacteristics can also be used to affect non-security preferences of auser, as will now be described with respect to FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a location-based system settings processaccording to another aspect of the invention. In particular, FIG. 5Aillustrates a process for establishing a plurality of “contexts,”wherein each context is a set of system settings for a user of the PED,and FIG. 5B illustrates a process for selectively launching one of theplurality of contexts based on a mobility characteristic of the PED.

Referring to FIG. 5A, in 500, the user of the PED configures one or morecontexts at the PED. For example, a context may include a screensaver,desktop background, Favorites links in a web browser, speed-dialsettings if the PED is a phone, security and/or firewall settings and/orany other type of user-configurable setting at the PED. It will beappreciated that numerous variations of contexts are possible.

Next, in 505, the user of the PED instructs the PED to associate eachcontext with a particular mobility characteristic. The mobilitycharacteristic is similar, in some ways, to the usage profile discussedabove with respect to FIGS. 1-4. For example, a given mobilitycharacteristic can include (i) an access point (AP) that acts as a wiredor wireless gateway for the PED, (ii) an estimate of a position of thePED obtained via GPS protocols, trilateration and/or a subnet associatedwith an internet protocol (IP) address of the gateway and/or (iii)calendar information. Thus, each context is associated with a particularmobility characteristic such that the context is triggered when the PEDdetermines that the mobility characteristic is satisfied, as will now bedescribed with respect to FIG. 5B.

Referring to FIG. 5B, in 510, the user logs onto the PED. While notillustrated within FIG. 5B, the log-on step of 510 can include theaccess protocols described above with respect to FIGS. 1-4. After theuser is logged on, the PED determines its position, 513, as describedabove with respect to 303 of FIG. 3. The position of the PED can bedetermined in different ways. For example, a confidence level that thePED is located within a given geographic range can be determined, a GPSor SPS estimate can be determined, a list of available access points orbase stations can be used to approximate a position of the PED, etc.Thus, it is understood that when a location or position is referred toin this aspect (or any other aspect in this application), the terms“location” and “position” are intended to be interpreted broadly asrelating to an estimation of a general locality of the PED. Next, thePED compares the determined location of the PED with each user-definedmobility characteristic, 515. It is understood that, if the mobilitycharacteristic includes a non-location attribute such as time of day,this attribute may also be measured by the PED and used in thecomparison. In 520, the PED determines whether the comparison results ina match. If the comparison is determined to have resulted in a match,the process advances to 525 and the context associated with the matchingmobility characteristic is launched at the PED. Otherwise, if no matchis found, the PED loads default system settings (i.e., a defaultcontext) at the PED in 530. In some implementations other contexts maybe used; e.g., the PED may prompt the user to select a context orconfigure an appropriate context, etc.

Again referring to FIG. 5B, after the context is loaded at the PED ineither 525 or 530, the PED determines whether to change contexts in 535.The determination of 535 can be performed periodically, or in responseto a triggering event. For example, a triggering event that could prompta context re-evaluation and/or change could be that the mobilitycharacteristic from 515 is no longer satisfied (e.g., the PED has left asector required to satisfy the mobility characteristic, etc.). Inanother example, a triggering event that could prompt a contextre-evaluation and/or change could be that the PED is attempting ane-commerce transaction. In another example, a triggering event thatcould prompt a context re-evaluation and/or change could be that the PEDis determined to be at an unusual location and/or is exhibiting unusualbehavior. If the PED determines not to change contexts in 535, the PEDmaintains the current context in 540, and can again return to 535 anddetermine whether to change contexts, for example, on a periodic basisor in response to a triggering event as discussed above. Otherwise, ifthe PED determines to change contexts in 535 (or at least evaluatecurrent conditions in more depth to consider a context change), theprocess returns to 515.

An illustrative example of the process of FIGS. 5A and 5B will now bedescribed with respect to FIG. 6. Referring to FIG. 6, the user of PED205 configures a “work” context and a “home” context, 500. As will beappreciated, the work context includes system settings that areappropriate for a business setting, whereas the home context includessystem settings that are more personal.

Next, in 505, the user of PED 205 associates the work context withsector A5 because sector A5 includes the work office 215, and furtherassociates the home context with sector A6 because sector A6 includesthe residential home 210. As discussed above, the “sectors” can be usedto identify a location in any of a number of ways, such as by geographicpoints or regions identified by GPS, trilateration, etc., by IPaddresses of routers or access point (e.g., the sector A6 could simplybe the home network router of the user of the PED 205. Thus, sectors inthe present illustrative example should be liberally construed.

In 510, the user of the PED 205 powers up and logs onto the PED 205 insector A6 at the residential home 210. The log-on of step 510 isintended to illustrate one example of a triggering event that may causea context to be loaded at the PED. Other triggering event examples arechanges to the PED's location (e.g., if the user of the PED is driving acar), a manual selection by the user that indicates a desired contextchange, performing financial transactions, accessing sensitiveinformation, changing system settings, etc. In 513, the PED 205determines its location by one or more of GPS, trilateration, etc., asdiscussed above in 303 of FIG. 3. In 515, the PED 205 the determinedlocation (and any other applicable attributes) of the PED 205 with themobility characteristics associated with contexts, as established in 500and 505 of FIG. 5A. Here, because the PED 205 is logged on in sector A6and the user of PED 205 previously generated the home context associatedwith sector A6, a match is found in 520 and the home context is loadedonto PED 205 in 525 (e.g., as shown in the expanded image of PED 205 insector A6 of FIG. 6).

Next, assume that the user of PED 205 drives to the work office 215, andfurther that the user keeps the PED 205 powered up during the drive. Intraveling to the work office 215 from the residential home 210, the PED205 leaves sector A6, traverses sectors A4 and/or A7, and then enterssector A5 where the work office 215 is located. Upon leaving sector A6and entering sectors A4 and/or A7, the PED 205 determines to changecontexts in 535, determines that sectors A4 and/or A7 do not match amobility characteristic established by the user in 515 and 520, andthereby loads default system settings, or a default context, in 530(e.g., as shown in the expanded image of PED 205 in sectors A4/A7 ofFIG. 6). Thus, default context is used in environments that are notdefined, have no setting for a particular attribute, or in response to amanual context selection by the user of the PED 205. When the PED 205enters sector A5 from sectors A4 and/or A7, the PED 205 determines tochange contexts in 535, determines that sector A6 matches a mobilitycharacteristic established by the user in 515 and 520, and loads thework context in 525 (e.g., as shown in the expanded image of PED 205 insector A5 of FIG. 6).

While the above illustrative example given with respect to FIG. 6 isdirected to a mobility characteristic based only on location, it will beappreciated that other aspects of the invention may incorporateadditional conditions for launching contexts. For example, calendarinformation can be incorporated, such that, for example, contexts areonly loaded if the PED is located in the correct sector at the correcttime of day, day of week, etc.

As discussed above, FIGS. 1-4 are generally directed to securityprotocols based on a usage profile of a PED. However, location basedsecurity is not necessarily limited to PEDs, as will be described belowwith respect to FIG. 7.

Economic transactions via any electronic device (e.g., a stationarydesktop computer, a laptop computer, a cell phone, etc.) that involveInternet purchases or sales are referred to as “e-commerce”. E-commerceis rapidly expanding globally, as customers are transitioning fromretail stores to virtual, online stores. However, identity theft, creditcard fraud and other Internet-based fraud (e.g., phishing, etc.) causeeconomic loss as well as a loss of consumer trust in the e-commercesystem.

Conventional security measures for authenticating ATM transactionsinclude (i) passwords and/or (ii) a comparison of current transactioncharacteristics with past behavior of the consumer. For example, if aconsumer goes to the same ATM machine every week for 5 years andwithdraws $200 at each transaction and enters the same PIN each time,the consistency of the withdrawal amounts, PIN verification, etc. willnot arouse suspicion of debit card theft. However, if the same debitcard is used in Russia to withdraw $5000, this will qualify assuspicious activity worthy of further authentication procedures. The ATMsystem generally works because each ATM is at a fixed location, and thelocation of each ATM is known, in advance of any transaction, to thesystem administrators of the ATM system.

Unlike the ATM transaction example given above, location-based securityprotocols for e-commerce transactions have yet to be adopted. Forexample, if a consumer is shopping at a website, such as www.amazon.com,and the consumer adds items to his/her cart and makes an onlinepurchase, the location of the consumer is unknown and is not used toevaluate whether the e-commerce transaction is legitimate. As will nowbe described with respect to FIG. 7, an aspect of the invention isdirected to location-based security protocols for e-commercetransactions.

Referring to FIG. 7, in 700, an electronic device (ED) (e.g., a laptopcomputer, a desktop computer, a cell phone, etc.) detects an attempt bya user to initiate e-commerce activity at the ED. For example, thee-commerce activity could be purchasing one or more items from anInternet website. In 705, the ED determines its location, as describedabove with respect to 303 and 513. The determining step 705 can beperformed in response to an authentication prompt from the Internetwebsite, or alternatively can be initiated by the ED itself. The ED candetermine its location using any well-known positioning methodology,including but not limited to identifying an access point (AP) that actsas a wired or wireless gateway for the ED, SPS (e.g., GPS), networktrilateration, etc. Further, the location of the ED can be determinedvia a background process, and need not actually be dynamicallydetermined at step 705, but can be loaded from a system variableindicating ED location in an example. Also, aside from location, the EDmay consider or detect other factors or parameters (“e-commerce usagecharacteristics”) such as the Web Site associated with the e-commercetransaction, the types of items being purchases, the total transactionamount, etc.

In 710, the ED determines whether learn mode is currently activated fore-commerce transactions. In example, the learn mode can be entered intoupon receipt of sufficient authentication information from the user(e.g., if the user provides a master authentication key or otherwisesatisfies a highest level of authentication, etc.). Also, similar to thelearn mode described above with respect to PED 205 access, e-commercelearn mode can be activated for a given amount of time, after whichlearn mode is exited. For example, the user of the ED can manuallyinstruct the ED to exit learn mode. In another example, learn mode maybe configured for exit after a given amount of time, which may beconfigured by the user upon entry into learn mode at 100 and/ordefaulted by the ED for exiting after a default period of time. In anexample implementation, e-commerce learn mode as in FIG. 7 differs fromthe ‘access’ learn mode described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 3.E-commerce learn mode generates an e-commerce usage profile, whichincludes locations and/or other conditions where e-commerce activity ispermitted. Thus, if a user conducts e-commerce activity at all locationswhere the user accesses the ED, the e-commerce usage profile can be thesame as the access usage profile. However, it will be appreciated thatif e-commerce activity is not initiated at all access locations, the twousage profiles may differ. In another example, certain locations may beassociated with more risk than other locations, even if the ED isexpected to be accessed at each location. Thus, the more risky locationscan be associated with more stringent authentication before thee-commerce activity is approved and/or before learn mode is entered.Further, for static or stationary EDs, such as desktop computers, theaccess usage profile may not be engaged due to the lack of the ED'smobility. In this case, the location of the ED can still be relevant asthe e-commerce usage profile need not be tied to a particular ED, butrather to user that conducts e-commerce transactions at differentlocations with different EDs.

In another example implementation, however, the e-commerce usage profilecould simply be set equal to the access usage profile. In this case, thee-commerce learn mode generates the e-commerce usage profile as in FIG.1 described above. Further, the e-commerce usage profile may remainengaged even if the access usage profile is not used. In anotherexample, the e-commerce profile could be pre-determined by the user orother person such as IT manager for particular environments such as homeor work.

Referring to FIG. 7, in 710, if the ED determines that e-commerce learnmode is activated, the process advances to 715 and the ED creates orupdates an e-commerce usage profile for the ED (e.g., as in 115 of FIG.1, by adding the determined location to a list of authorized locations,etc.) or for the user if the user conduct's e-commerce transactions ondifferent EDs. After creating/updating the usage profile in 715, the EDpermits the user to conduct e-commerce activity at the ED in 720.

Returning to 710, if the ED determines that e-commerce learn mode isde-activated, the process advances to 725. In 725, the ED compares usagecharacteristics (e.g., the determined location from 705, calendarinformation, etc.) of the PED being accessed with the usage profile forthat PED. As discussed above, the usage profile can contain informationsuch as (i) an access point (AP) that acts as a wired or wirelessgateway for the portable electronic device, (ii) an estimate of aposition of the portable electronic device obtained via globalpositioning system (GPS) protocols, trilateration and/or a subnetassociated with an internet protocol (IP) address of the gateway and/or(iii) calendar information. The remaining steps of FIG. 7 will now bedescribed with reference to examples based on different usage attemptsby the user and different usage profiles. Examples of ‘access’ usageprofiles have been discussed in detail above with respect to FIGS. 1-4.For convenience of explanation, assume that the e-commerce usage profilemay generally be configured in a manner similar to that of the accessusage profile. Thus, additional explicit examples of usage profiles fore-commerce have been omitted for the sake of brevity.

Accordingly, in 730, the ED determines whether the current usage of theED conforms with the e-commerce usage profile. For example, if the ED isa desktop PC and the user is conducting an e-commerce transaction athome, the position of the ED (e.g., based on GPS, etc.) is compared withthe e-commerce usage profile, and the ED is likely to determineconformity. If the ED determines that the current usage of the EDconforms with the e-commerce usage profile, the process advances to 720and the e-commerce transaction is permitted (e.g., following, possibly,an authentication prompt of the user of the ED associated with a lesserdegree of authentication than if step 730 determined non-conformingactivity or behavior of the ED). Otherwise, the process advances to 735.

In 735, the ED prompts the user to satisfy one or more authenticationprotocols. For example, the authentication prompt may be for a passwordof the ED, the authentication prompt may be for biometric information(e.g., a fingerprint scan, a retinal scan, etc.), the authenticationprompt may be one or more pre-configured questions (e.g., “What is yourmother's maiden name?”), and/or any combination thereof. In a furtherexample, the ED authentication prompt may be adjusted based on a usagehistory of the ED, or also based on the risk level associated with theED's current location. For example, if the user of the ED is at a coffeeshop that the user has made e-commerce purchases from numerous times inthe past, a lower level of authentication may be require than if the EDis determined to be at an airport from which no e-commerce activity haspreviously been conducted.

If the ED determines, 740, that the information provided by the user inresponse to the authentication prompt is sufficient to authenticate theuser, the process advances to 715 and 720, where the ED's currentlocation (and/or other usage criteria, such as time of day, etc. if sodesired by the user) is added to the e-commerce usage profile, 715,(unless the e-commerce usage profile already contains this usage, inwhich case this step is bypassed) and the user is permitted to conductthe e-commerce transaction, 720. While not illustrated in FIG. 7, the EDcould prompt the user for authentication even though the e-commerceusage characteristics conform with the e-commerce usage profile,although a lesser degree of authentication would generally be requiredthan if the e-commerce usage characteristics were non-conforming.Alternatively, while not illustrated in FIG. 7, the updating of theusage profile may be optional and only performed if instructed by theuser. For example, if the user of the ED is at a location onlytemporarily and the user does not expect to return to that location, theuser likely would not want that location to be approved for futuree-commerce transactions (e.g., if the user accidentally left the ED atthat location, fraudulent purchases could be made).

Returning to 740, if the ED determines that the information provided bythe user in response to the authentication prompt is not sufficient toauthenticate the user, the e-commerce transaction is not permitted tocontinue, 745. Alternatively, instead of actually blocking thee-commerce transaction, the user of the ED may instead be forced tomanually authenticate the e-commerce transaction (e.g., with a phonecall, by re-entering credit card information with the e-commerce site,etc.). Further, while not illustrated in FIG. 7, the user may configurethe ED to perform the locking and alerting steps 340 and 345, asdiscussed above with respect to FIG. 3.

As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, thee-commerce usage profile is, in some ways, broader than that of theaccess usage profile. The e-commerce usage profile can be configured tobe either ED-specific, or alternatively can be user-specific and appliedto multiple EDs and/or PEDs, whereas the access usage profile is alwaysapplied to one particular PED. Thus, the user could configure the samee-commerce usage profile to be used as a security safeguard forpurchases made at the user's home computer, work computer and/or cellphone, and can be applied to both stationary/static EDs and PEDs.

Further, while above-described aspects of the invention have beendescribed separately, in accordance with other aspects of the inventionany aspects that are not mutually exclusive may be performedconcurrently. For example, the process of FIG. 3 may be performedconcurrently with the process of FIGS. 5A/5B and/or the process of FIG.7. In other words, the location-based security process that determineswhether an access attempt of the PED can be permitted in FIG. 4 can beperformed concurrently with the location-based context loading/updatingprocess of FIGS. 5A/5B that affects system settings at the PED.

Also, the processes of FIGS. 3, 5B and 7 can be linked via a moregeneralized location-based settings process, as will now be describedwith respect to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 illustrates an operation executionprocess based at least in part upon a location criterion according to anaspect of the invention. Referring to FIG. 8, an electronic devicedetermines its location using one or more location determinationmethodologies, 800. In an example, step 800 of FIG. 8 may correspond to303 of FIG. 3, 513 of FIG. 5B and/or 705 of FIG. 7. In other words, thelocation determined in 800 may be used in any or all of these processes.

Next, in 805, the electronic device determines a confidence level to beassociated with the location determined in 800. For example, theconfidence level can be based on the type of location determiningmethodology (e.g., GPS may have a higher confidence level thantriangulation, etc.). In another example, the confidence level may bebased on other factors. In 810, the electronic device accesses a lookuptable that includes a list of known locations or location ranges. Theelectronic device compares the location determined in 800 with thelocations stored in the lookup table to find a matching entry. Theconfidence level may also be used at this point (e.g., to expand uponthe determined location if the confidence level is relatively low). Uponfinding a match, the electronic device determines a level to beassociated with one or more operations based on the lookup, 815. Theoperations can include an access attempt authorization procedure (e.g.,see FIG. 3), a context loading procedure (e.g., see FIGS. 5A/5B), ane-commerce transaction authorization procedure (e.g., see FIG. 7), ageneral security protocol to be applied at the electronic device, etc.In an example, the location and/or confidence level are only two factorsthat may determine the operation level values stored in the lookuptable. In another example, additional criteria may be used by the lookuptable in providing the operation level values. A more detailed exampleof this step is provided below with respect to FIG. 9.

Referring to FIG. 8, in 820, the electronic device executes at least oneoperation decision and control module based on the determined level whenthe portable device performs an associated operation. Thus, if a levelis determined in 815 for e-commerce transactions, and an e-commercetransaction is detected, an operation decision and control modulegoverning e-commerce transactions is executed with protocolscorresponding to the determined level in 820. Additional examples areprovided below with respect to FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 illustrates a more detailed example of the process of FIG. 8,which is described below in conjunction with the processes of 3, 5B and7. Referring to FIG. 9, assume that steps 800, 805 and 810 of FIG. 8execute, and the process advances to 900. In 900, assume that the lookuptable (810) indicates that levels 4, 3 and 2, respectively, areassociated with an access attempt authorization procedure, a contextloading procedure and an e-commerce transaction authorization procedure,respectively, for the determined position (800) and confidence level(805). The different levels correspond to different protocols that maybe applied for the different operations. In an example, higher levelvalues for access attempts correspond to a higher level of userauthentication before access is granted. In another example, differentcontext level values correspond to different environments, such as aWork context, Home context, School context, etc. As will be appreciated,900 of FIG. 9 corresponds to a more detailed version of 815 of FIG. 8.

After the level values are determined in 900, the process advances to905, where the process of FIG. 5B is executed for context level value 2.In this example, assume context level 2 corresponds to a Work context.Accordingly, in 905, because the context level value already indicatesthe context to be loaded, the process advances to 525 of FIG. 5B, wherethe Work context is loaded. FIG. 5B may continue to be executedconcurrently with FIG. 9. Next, in 910, the electronic device determineswhether an access attempt of the electronic device is detected (e.g., asin 300 of FIG. 3). If an access attempt is detected, the processadvances to 915, and the process of FIG. 3 is executed for accessattempt level 4. In an example, different access attempt level valuesmay affect the process of FIG. 3 in different ways. For example, higheraccess attempt level values may include fewer or more narrow expectedusage profiles of the PED, which makes conformity more difficult toachieve, such that access of the PED is better secured. On the otherhand, if the access attempt level value is relatively low (e.g., 0),certain authorization or authentication procedures illustrated in FIG. 3may be skipped entirely. For example, if the access attempt level valueis 0, step 320 of FIG. 3 may allow any behavior of the PED to beconforming and may skip the authentication step of 330/335, such thatthe PED user is assumed authenticated.

After the process of FIG. 3 is executed, the electronic devicedetermines whether an e-commerce transaction is detected (e.g., as in700 of FIG. 7). If an e-commerce transaction attempt is detected, theprocess advances to 925, and the process of FIG. 7 is executed fore-commerce transaction attempt level 3. In an example, differente-commerce transaction level values may affect the process of FIG. 7 indifferent ways. For example, higher e-commerce transaction level valuesmay include fewer or more narrow e-commerce expected usage profiles ofthe ED, which makes conformity more difficult to achieve, such thate-commerce transactions are better secured. On the other hand, if thee-commerce transaction attempt level value is relatively low (e.g., 0),certain authorization or authentication procedures illustrated in FIG. 7may be skipped entirely. For example, if the e-commerce transactionlevel value is 0, step 725 of FIG. 7 may allow any behavior of the ED tobe conforming and may skip the authentication step of 735/740, such thatthe ED user is assumed authenticated.

Further, the order in which the processes of FIGS. 3, 5B and 7 areexecuted or evaluated to be executed in FIG. 9 need not be the orderillustrated in FIG. 9, but can rather be in any order. Likewise,different types of operations may be managed by the process of FIG. 8 or9 in other aspects of the invention.

While aspects of the invention presented above are directed to usingvarying degrees of authentication to enter a learn mode for addingaccess permissions of a PED and/or e-commerce permissions of an ED, forpermitting access to the PED based on an expected usage profile of thePED, or permitting an e-commerce transaction at the ED based on anexpected e-commerce usage profile, it will be appreciated that one ormore authentications can be used as a ‘master’ key or override that willenable a user of that ED or PED full access to the ED or PED. Forexample, a biometric authentication (e.g., a retinal scan, a fingerprintscan, a DNA scan, etc.) can be used as a master authentication key thatpermits full access. If a master authentication key is enabled, theprocesses described above will bypass their respective authenticationsteps such that the process will advance such that proper authenticationhas been granted. In an example, a master authentication key can bevalid for a given amount of time, at which point the user will againhave to obtain a master authentication key or else revert to theauthentication procedures described above.

Those of skill in the art will appreciate that information and signalsmay be represented using any of a variety of different technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout theabove description may be represented by voltages, currents,electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields orparticles, or any combination thereof.

Further, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the variousillustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm stepsdescribed in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may beimplemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinationsof both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware andsoftware, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits,and steps have been described above generally in terms of theirfunctionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware orsoftware depends upon the particular application and design constraintsimposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement thedescribed functionality in varying ways for each particular application,but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing adeparture from the scope of the invention.

The methods, sequences and/or algorithms described in connection withthe aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in asoftware module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of physical storage medium known in the art.An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that theprocessor can read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integralto the processor.

While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects of theinvention, it should be noted that various changes and modificationscould be made herein without departing from the scope of the inventionas defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and/or actionsof the method claims in accordance with the aspects of the inventiondescribed herein need not be performed in any particular order.Furthermore, although elements of the invention may be described orclaimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation tothe singular is explicitly stated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of securing e-commerce transactions to an electronic device, comprising: detecting an attempt to conduct an e-commerce transaction at the electronic device; determining whether usage characteristics associated with the detected attempt conform with an e-commerce usage profile associated with the electronic device or a user of the electronic device, the e-commerce usage profile including one or more pre-defined usages of the portable electronic device, each usage associated with a location characteristic of the portable electronic device; and determining whether to permit the e-commerce transaction at the electronic device based on whether the usage characteristics conform with the e-commerce usage profile.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage characteristics include at least one of a location of the electronic device, a Web Site associated with the e-commerce transaction, types of items being purchased in the e-commerce transaction and a total transaction amount of the e-commerce transaction.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the e-commerce usage profile includes at least one of a list of locations or location ranges, a list of Web Sites, a list of item types and one or more transaction amount thresholds.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: prompting a user of the electronic device for authentication information, wherein an authentication level associated with the user prompt is based on a degree to which the usage characteristics conform with the e-commerce usage profile.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: denying the electronic device permission to conduct the e-commerce transaction if the user does not provide adequate authentication in response to the user prompt.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: prompting the user for manual authentication in response to the denying step.
 7. The method of claim 5, further comprising: permitting the electronic device permission to conduct the e-commerce transaction if the user provides adequate authentication in response to the user prompt.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: updating the e-commerce usage profile such that, for future e-commerce transactions, the usage characteristics associated with the detected attempt indicate conformity with the e-commerce usage profile.
 9. The method of claim 2, wherein the location characteristic corresponds to at least one of a geographic location of the electronic device, whether the electronic device resides in a given geographic range and signals received at the portable electronic device.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the received signals include one or more of cellular signals, WiFi signals and satellite positioning system (SPS) signals.
 11. An electronic device, comprising: means for detecting an attempt to conduct an e-commerce transaction at the electronic device; means for determining whether usage characteristics associated with the detected attempt conform with an e-commerce usage profile associated with the electronic device or a user of the electronic device, the e-commerce usage profile including one or more pre-defined usages of the portable electronic device, each usage associated with a location characteristic of the portable electronic device; and means for determining whether to permit the e-commerce transaction at the electronic device based on whether the usage characteristics conform with the e-commerce usage profile.
 12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the usage characteristics include at least one of a location of the electronic device, a Web Site associated with the e-commerce transaction, types of items being purchased in the e-commerce transaction and a total transaction amount of the e-commerce transaction.
 13. The electronic device of claim 11, further comprising: means for prompting a user of the electronic device for authentication information, wherein an authentication level associated with the user prompt is based on a degree to which the usage characteristics conform with the e-commerce usage profile.
 14. An electronic device, comprising: logic configured to detect an attempt to conduct an e-commerce transaction at the electronic device; logic configured to determine whether usage characteristics associated with the detected attempt conform with an e-commerce usage profile associated with the electronic device or a user of the electronic device, the e-commerce usage profile including one or more pre-defined usages of the portable electronic device, each usage associated with a location characteristic of the portable electronic device; and logic configured to determine whether to permit the e-commerce transaction at the electronic device based on whether the usage characteristics conform with the e-commerce usage profile.
 15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the usage characteristics include at least one of a location of the electronic device, a Web Site associated with the e-commerce transaction, types of items being purchased in the e-commerce transaction and a total transaction amount of the e-commerce transaction.
 16. The electronic device of claim 65, further comprising: logic configured to prompt a user of the electronic device for authentication information, wherein an authentication level associated with the user prompt is based on a degree to which the usage characteristics conform with the e-commerce usage profile.
 17. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform operations, the instructions comprising: program code to detect an attempt to conduct an e-commerce transaction at the electronic device; program code to determine whether usage characteristics associated with the detected attempt conform with an e-commerce usage profile associated with the electronic device or a user of the electronic device, the e-commerce usage profile including one or more pre-defined usages of the portable electronic device, each usage associated with a location characteristic of the portable electronic device; and program code to determine whether to permit the e-commerce transaction at the electronic device based on whether the usage characteristics conform with the e-commerce usage profile.
 18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the usage characteristics include at least one of a location of the electronic device, a Web Site associated with the e-commerce transaction, types of items being purchased in the e-commerce transaction and a total transaction amount of the e-commerce transaction.
 19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising: program code to prompt a user of the electronic device for authentication information, wherein an authentication level associated with the user prompt is based on a degree to which the usage characteristics conform with the e-commerce usage profile. 